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Authors: Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
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outside force had hold over them, as he tried to grasp the blanket and wrap it round his scrawny body and lose himself in its folds. To the colonel, this was not a cold fever, but fear â dread and horror â that sought refuge in the old blanket that protected him from his nightmares. Amirâs whole face was now hidden and panic had turned him into a shaking wreck. the colonel could just hear his voice, muffled by the damp warp and weft of the old blanket:
âNo, Iâm not coming. Iâm nobodyâs brother. Iâm not anybody. Iâm nobody. I donât even existâ¦â
the colonel was already on his way down the stairs when he wondered why he hadnât warned Amir about the âImmortal Prophet Khezr Javid.â He should have put his foot down. He would have been perfectly within his rights; it was still his home, after all, and he had a duty to act against suspicious types who drifted in and out of his house. But what Amir had said was ambiguous. What did he mean by saying that he hadnât got a brother? Was it just him being mad, or did he mean something else? Was he trying to get at me? Was he trying to make me feel even more wretched than I am? What was he driving at? What did he really mean? Was he aware of the venom behind his words? Was he saying that Iâm not⦠not the father of all my children? Has my son become so heartless and cruel as to bring up my wifeâs whoring â his own motherâs whoring? All right, so I killed her, I killed Forouz; right in front of him, I killed my wife. So everything needs to be scrubbed and purified now, does it? Why, why? Iâve absolutely no doubt in my own mind that none of
my children are bastards, no doubt at all. If Forouz had wanted to break the rules, sheâd never have agreed to those two operations. And in any event, Iâd have noticed. Gut feeling and animal instinct donât lie. No, I loved you all and I love you still. Why else do you think I regret not warning you about Khezr Javid, or why would I be feeling so much love for my little daughter Parvaneh? So much love that I feel I shall die if I return to the cemetery and find that they have already buried her without my seeing her for one last time? Come on now, donât be so foul to me!
As the colonel made his way along the muddy streets in the rain, holding the pick and shovel firmly on his scrawny shoulder, his thoughts were never far from Khezr Javid. At times he even felt that âthe immortal oneâ was following him in the darkness and mocking him. 17 He could picture him standing before him right now: with the collar of his raincoat turned up and the brim of his hat pulled down over his forehead, his coat belt tied at the waist and his shoes shining, as always, in spite of the rain and mud. For Khezr Javid moved in mysterious ways and appeared to walk on air without his devilish shoes ever getting wet, no matter how hard it rained. On the many occasions that the colonel had seen him come to the house he never seemed to be the least bit wet. Incredible! Even on that fateful evening â was that the last time he had seen him? â it had been raining.
the colonel had been sitting on his bentwood chair by the
window, looking out and listening to the rain falling into the pool in the courtyard. He noticed that the black cat that usually sat on the edge of the pond was not there. It must have hidden itself away in a corner, out of the wet. This time, Parvaneh opened the door to Khezr Javid. She had rushed out into the courtyard and lifted her face to the rain as it ran down in heavy drops over her cheeks and forehead, enjoying the game as if she were a small girl. As he looked on, the colonel felt embraced by the warm feeling of sharing in her simple pleasure.
Khezr Javid knocked on the gate. Parvaneh opened it and, without looking at him, hid herself behind the gate as he swept in. As usual, he made straight for the stairs to
âNo, Iâm not coming. Iâm nobodyâs brother. Iâm not anybody. Iâm nobody. I donât even existâ¦â
the colonel was already on his way down the stairs when he wondered why he hadnât warned Amir about the âImmortal Prophet Khezr Javid.â He should have put his foot down. He would have been perfectly within his rights; it was still his home, after all, and he had a duty to act against suspicious types who drifted in and out of his house. But what Amir had said was ambiguous. What did he mean by saying that he hadnât got a brother? Was it just him being mad, or did he mean something else? Was he trying to get at me? Was he trying to make me feel even more wretched than I am? What was he driving at? What did he really mean? Was he aware of the venom behind his words? Was he saying that Iâm not⦠not the father of all my children? Has my son become so heartless and cruel as to bring up my wifeâs whoring â his own motherâs whoring? All right, so I killed her, I killed Forouz; right in front of him, I killed my wife. So everything needs to be scrubbed and purified now, does it? Why, why? Iâve absolutely no doubt in my own mind that none of
my children are bastards, no doubt at all. If Forouz had wanted to break the rules, sheâd never have agreed to those two operations. And in any event, Iâd have noticed. Gut feeling and animal instinct donât lie. No, I loved you all and I love you still. Why else do you think I regret not warning you about Khezr Javid, or why would I be feeling so much love for my little daughter Parvaneh? So much love that I feel I shall die if I return to the cemetery and find that they have already buried her without my seeing her for one last time? Come on now, donât be so foul to me!
As the colonel made his way along the muddy streets in the rain, holding the pick and shovel firmly on his scrawny shoulder, his thoughts were never far from Khezr Javid. At times he even felt that âthe immortal oneâ was following him in the darkness and mocking him. 17 He could picture him standing before him right now: with the collar of his raincoat turned up and the brim of his hat pulled down over his forehead, his coat belt tied at the waist and his shoes shining, as always, in spite of the rain and mud. For Khezr Javid moved in mysterious ways and appeared to walk on air without his devilish shoes ever getting wet, no matter how hard it rained. On the many occasions that the colonel had seen him come to the house he never seemed to be the least bit wet. Incredible! Even on that fateful evening â was that the last time he had seen him? â it had been raining.
the colonel had been sitting on his bentwood chair by the
window, looking out and listening to the rain falling into the pool in the courtyard. He noticed that the black cat that usually sat on the edge of the pond was not there. It must have hidden itself away in a corner, out of the wet. This time, Parvaneh opened the door to Khezr Javid. She had rushed out into the courtyard and lifted her face to the rain as it ran down in heavy drops over her cheeks and forehead, enjoying the game as if she were a small girl. As he looked on, the colonel felt embraced by the warm feeling of sharing in her simple pleasure.
Khezr Javid knocked on the gate. Parvaneh opened it and, without looking at him, hid herself behind the gate as he swept in. As usual, he made straight for the stairs to
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